As an artist, I always find inspiring and enriching to accept a challenge. This altar has been a challenging piece not only because it is my very first altar but also because the tradition of Day of the Dead is foreign to me.

At the same time, the celebration of our dead feels stirring and inviting. What attracts me the most from this holiday is the acceptance of the duality in things. Life contains both decay and renewal; therefore Death is a natural part of it. More so, Death doesn’t have to be always sad, or dark.

A Guardiana (female guardian or keeper) seemed perfect to represent that duality, because Guardianas are protecting and inspiring beings, delicate but strong, serious but also playful. They are the keepers of both earthly and spiritual things.

I developed a first idea for my altar but, just like Death, the facts of Life have a way of happening beyond our control, and when I was right in the middle of my work, the Station Fire took over the mountains in my neighborhood. And so it was that this event disrupted our daily lives and changed the theme of my piece: I decided to honor all the kinds of Life lost in the fire.

Interestingly enough, during the research process for my piece, I came across lots of local vegetal and animal species that I had no idea were also my neighbors; Death sometimes opens our eyes to the Life around us, and helps us appreciate it a little more.

I offer Mother Nature some water as I hope for rain, and some seeds as I hope for new plants and trees to grow so that, in this never-ending cycle, life will spring again from the ashes.